


Cataclysm

by ugandadistrict9



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (yes again), Adrien Agreste Angst, Akuma Attack, Akuma Battle, Angst, Canon Divergence, Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Moral Dilemmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-01 10:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13996401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ugandadistrict9/pseuds/ugandadistrict9
Summary: cat·a·clysm (noun): a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction.synonyms: calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy.





	Cataclysm

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before L'Hibou Noir even came out I'm pretty sure so this is no spoilers and also canon divergence of some sort possibly
> 
> yeah i found this in my google docs from like january and i kinda liked it so i added to it n fixed it up!! this was my take on the darker side of miraculous... hope u enjoy a lil bit of angst

Adrien had never figured himself to be lucky before. Constantly having to save Paris from the villainous Papillon, while also having to keep up with schoolwork and all of his extracurriculars seemed unlucky enough, not to mention that he had a lot of family stress on top of that. Adrien's life was nothing short of a tedious juggling act: Bailing out on his friends and ditching class to risk his life as a superhero and never get any credit for it, getting grounded and having to sneak out... None of it made him feel very fortunate. In fact, he was convinced that he had been cursed with some pretty bad luck.

 

But as it turned out, that wasn't quite the case. Today, he was being forced to come to terms with the luck he’d been having as an akumatized Parisian held a gun to his face.

 

“Don’t shoot, please,” he said with a nervous smile, trying hard to be the brave Chat Noir that France was counting on him to be.

 

“I won't, if you give me your miraculous,” said the villain. He was a man whom Adrien had never seen before. This wasn't surprising, considering how many people there were in Paris, but it was inconvenient. A lot of times, the people they were up against had a weakness -- either Ladybug or himself knew where the akuma was hidden. This time, Adrien was absolutely not sure. And there was not a lot of time to think when someone was pointing a firearm at you.

 

“Sorry, pal, no can do,” Chat Noir extended his baton to push the gun away from his face, and frantically signalled for Ladybug. She threw her yoyo and tried to snag the weapon from his hand, but he shot the yoyo right out of the air, leaving the two heroes gaping in surprise and fear. Chat Noir acted fast and leaped up to meet his Lady, grabbing her and ducking behind a large chimney on the roof.

 

Neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir had suspected such a force to appear. Every other villain they'd been up against in the past had possessed powers that were almost harmless, now that he thought about it. As far as he knew, nobody had ever died from an akuma attack before. Many civilians were affected, but usually the weapon of the villain served only to mind-control people into helping their cause. After all, the powers given by Le Papillon were supposed to make people into magic super villains, with a specialized power based on either the possessed object or the reason for their negative emotion ... The Bubbler, magic bubble wand; Dark Cupid, got rejected on valentine's day; Lady Wifi, magic cellphone... There wasn't supposed to be Gun Man, magic gun.

 

Adrien's best guess on the situation was that the man had had the gun  _ before  _ the possession. Of course there were people who did bad things without the need of Le Papillon. Thanks to the akumatization, this guy might actually get brought to justice before anybody got hurt. That is, if Chat Noir and his Lady were lucky.

 

“I think the akuma might be in his gun,” Chat Noir whispered. “It doesn't seem likely that Le Papillon's powers could give someone that dangerous of a weapon, considering what we’ve seen before.”

 

“Mhm. What do you propose?”

 

“I'm not sure. We need to think of something though, and fast. This is the most dangerous super villain we've ever been up against. Any ideas?”

 

Ladybug looked really contemplative, a very serious expression that Adrien had never seen before locked on her face. But before she could say anything about her thoughts, Le Tireur d’Élite was upon them again. He moved very quickly and skillfully.

 

It was incredibly overpowered, having a real gun that fired real bullets  _ and  _ super powers. Chat Noir would normally have voiced this commentary out loud, to the man’s face, but dodging  _ literal bullets _ was very occupying.

 

Everything was happening fast, and Chat Noir didn’t have a plan. He hoped maybe Ladybug would use her Lucky Charm and solve everything just like that, but he couldn't totally rely on her. He had to protect her, too.

 

Next thing he knew, Le Tireur was pointing his gun at Ladybug.  He didn't hesitate. “Cataclysm!” he shouted. He tried to touch the gun with his super-powered paw while the gunman was distracted with Ladybug, but the man was faster. He spins swiftly,  _ he has me _ ,  _ he’s pointing his gun at me, I'm going to die. _

 

Chat Noir gasped. The man had his arm totally pinned with one hand, and a gun pointed at his head, stopping him from even thinking about making any kind of movement to escape.

 

He heard Ladybug scream. He knew that Le Tireur was through now with trying to barter for their miraculouses. He didn't even want them. He had some other beef. The miraculouses were just a quick errand he had to run for his new boss. He could take the miraculouses when they were dead.

 

He knew Ladybug wouldn't use her Lucky Charm. She wouldn't risk it taking too much time. She wasted no time in calling out to distract the akumatized man. 

 

“Hey, Tireur!” she called from behind, voice loud but wavering. “You can have my miraculous if you leave my partner alone!”

 

The villain only looked annoyed. He turned his head, not moving the gun nor the hand he was using to pin Chat Noir’s destructive arm down. Chat reached quietly for the gun with his free hand, but was given the knee by the unflinching villain. The superhero groaned in pain, and the villain paid him absolutely no mind. Ladybug seethed with rage. “Hey! Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you!” she spat, trying to draw the man’s attention away from Chat Noir.

 

“Don't play games with me, little girl.”

 

“I'm not playing, really! I'll give it to you, just don't you dare hurt him.”

 

“I don't believe you. I'm not letting this stupid rat go again over some silly trick.”

 

“Cat,” Chat corrected quietly.

 

“No, it's no trick,” Ladybug protested frantically. “Please!”

 

Le Tireur d’Élite turned his back on Ladybug, looking Chat Noir in the eyes.

 

Chat Noir held his breath.

 

But Ladybug screamed again. She bounded towards them, voice filled with fear and distress. “No!”

 

Le Tireur d’Élite growled at her, expecting an attack, but to the surprise of both of the boys, she reached both hands up to her ear, and took off her magical earring. Her Ladybug costume started to deteriorate, leaving behind a shy, frightened girl in the place where the héroïne had stood. She removed the second earring, and held them out, head lowered.

 

The villain paused for a moment, bewildered, and it could have been the perfect opportunity to strike, and to win, but Chat Noir was bewildered as well. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

 

“Okay, good, give me them.” The villain said finally. He momentarily released Chat Noir’s arm to grab the earrings and pocket them. But he didn't move his gun.

 

“You agreed to let him go,” Marinette insisted angrily, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

 

“Hmm, well, guess what, princess?” He cocked his gun. “I lied.”

 

“No!” Marinette screamed. “Chat Noir!”

 

All desperation and mortal fear, Adrien cried out, trying to push the man off of him in a final, frantic attempt for his life.

 

The man held his ground, and was affected little by the pushing, even with all of the strength that he could conjure up from the adrenaline coursing through his body, and Adrien became absolutely sure that he was going to die.

 

He could hear Ladybug, he could hear  _ Marinette _ , screaming ‘don't hurt him, you liar, you monster, you monster’, and he heard her get cast aside by the bad man’s boot.

 

He pushed frantically, with both hands, to no avail. The man was too strong.

 

This was it.

 

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the gun’s blast to end his life, but instead, he heard Le Tireur d’Élite let out a gruesome, sickening scream.

 

He opened an eye, just in time to watch the screeching man deteriorate horrifically into a black charcoal dust before him. Adrien gaped, looking on in horror as the man’s agonizing cries were swallowed up into the swirl of blackness.

 

His blood ran cold.

 

He had used his Cataclysm.

 

He had already activated it before the man pinned him, and in the moment, being mere seconds from death, he had forgotten. He was acting in self defense, trying to push the man off … he was not trying to use his power on him.

 

Chat Noir had just used Cataclysm on a person.

 

He sat up, scooping up some of the charcoally substance that had once been Le Tireur d’Élite. Before that, it had been a man or boy. A living, breathing human being.

 

Chat Noir was a murderer.

 

And Marinette, his dear school friend, who was Ladybug, his long time partner and crush, had watched him kill someone. Two girls he had cared for dearly had just seen him murder another human.

 

“Chat?” the girl’s voice came eventually.

 

He didn’t respond.

 

“Chat Noir?” her voice was soft.

 

“I killed him…”

 

Then Marinette was beside him. She put a hand on his back. “Chat, it's not your fault, it-it was you or him.”

 

“That doesn't make it okay!” he snapped. “I….I’ve always wondered what would happen if I messed up and touched someone with that, but I never…” he stared down at his shaking hands. “I-I never…”

 

“Shh,” Marinette hushed him. “It wasn't your fault.”

 

“But I killed him.” Tears formed in Adrien’s eyes, blurring his vision. He heard his ring beep and he knew they should deal with the akuma before he detransformed, but he wasn't focusing on that now. He was totally brain dead. “I killed somebody. He's ... dead.”

 

The ladybug kwami flew up and whispered something into Marinette's ear. Marinette’s eyes widened. She looked positively disturbed.

 

“Chat, if I cleanse the akuma… he’ll… be alive.”

 

“What?”

 

“I-I don't know. Pass me my earrings.”

 

Chat Noir sifted through the human ashes and found the pair of earrings. He handed them up to his partner, silently.

 

“Tikki, transform me.”

 

He looked up at her as she transformed. She surely was beautiful. He was too shocked by all of this to really feel anything right now, though. 

 

Ladybug stomped on the discarded gun and a little black butterfly flew out. She captured it in her yoyo without a word and released it, white, into the sky.

 

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

 

Chat Noir watched in utter disbelief and awe as Ladybug’s black and red magic worked around him, repairing the broken gun, mending the bullet holes and other fight scuffle from the roof, and turning the black dust in front of him into a living, breathing man.

 

They both gasped.

 

“Wha-- where am I? What am I doing up here?” the man asked. “Chat Noir? Ladybug?”

 

“Uh, y-you were possessed … by Papillon,” Ladybug explained, trying to keep her composure despite the disturbing sight that had happened before her. Chat Noir stared, saying nothing.

 

“O-oh.” The man seemed somewhat embarrassed.

 

Marinette was surprised she had the capacity to think of this, but she asked him what he was doing with the gun.

 

But Adrien stopped listening. He still couldn't believe what he had done. The man didn’t even know that he had died. He didn't even know that Chat Noir had killed him. Adrien would replay his scream over and over in his head for the rest of his life.

 

He heard his ring beep again and he snapped back to reality. “I need to go, my lady,” he said half-heartedly, turning to leave.

 

“Uh, Chat, wait!”

 

He stopped, waiting to hear what she would say.

 

“You need to go so that your identity stays secret, but I need to talk to you later. Meet me at that park over there later, okay? I'll get this man to the police. I'll meet you as soon as I'm done.”

 

Police? he wondered. He really hadn't been listening to what the man had said. It made sense, though, since he was wielding a handgun, it was probably something bad. He agreed to Ladybug’s request then quickly used his staff to get him safely to the ground before he detransformed.

 

Plagg gave him a quiet nuzzle when he flew out from the miraculous. It was like a hug, but the kwami’s arms were too small for a real one. Adrien understood that Plagg wanted to comfort him after what had happened.

 

He started to walk towards the park that Ladybug told him to meet her at, the two of them in silence.

 

“Did this… happen to other Chat Noirs?” Adrien broke the silence eventually.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“How did they handle it?”

 

“Similarly to you, I guess. You're doing better than most, actually. I had a kid once who went absolutely crazy and refused to use his miraculous for a while.”

 

“Did any other ladybug and black cat miraculous holders know each other's identities?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really? Why have you made us keep it secret then?”

 

“Le Papillon is more dangerous of a case than most villains the previous heroes have been up against. He seems to be able to spy on all of Paris sometimes. It would be bad to let him see. You'd think that if he had spies in Paris, though, he'd have seen you transform, though, so I really don't know. I think he probably knows who Ladybug is now, so you especially can't let him find out who you are.”

 

“Mhm,” Adrien agreed. “But can I tell her?”

 

Plagg sighed. “Yes. But be very, very careful about it. Don't detransform in the park tonight.”

 

“Okay, I guess I'll just tell her.”

 

“Good. Now that the serious talk is over, can I please have some food? Powering your suit is exhausting.”

 

Adrien laughed, reaching into his bag for the cheese he kept for Plagg.

 

He waited on a bench a short ways away from the park, in case Ladybug showed up before he got the chance to transform.

 

“Why the long face?” Plagg asked after he finished eating.

 

“I'm still just thinking about it.”

 

“I know, but aren't you at least a little bit excited to know that Ladybug likes you back?” Plagg tried to lighten the mood.

 

“Huh? Where'd you get that idea from?”

 

“Ladybug is Marinette, remember?”

 

“So? What does that have to do with-”

 

Plagg shook his head, sighing in exasperation. “Marinette, the girl in your class with the biggest crush on you ever?”

 

“Crush?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Adrien didn't say anything. He seemed to be having a grand realization. Plagg was rolling his eyes.

 

“My lady, she…”

 

But before Adrien could finish his mumbled sentiment, he saw Ladybug jump overhead. She didn't see him, and went and waited in the middle of the park.

 

“Ugh, where is Chat Noir?” he heard her say.

 

“Okay, Plagg,” Adrien whispered, crouching low behind the bench. “Transform me.”

 

As soon as he was transformed, he leapt over the bench and towards the park to meet her.

 

“Chat Noir,” she exclaimed, “are you okay!?”

 

“I'm okay, my lady.”

 

“You sure? You wanna talk about it?”

 

Adrien winced. “N-not really.”

 

“Wanna come sit?” Marinette’s voice was soft and gentle and assured. Adrien was still having trouble figuring out just who he was talking to.

 

Wordlessly, the pair sat down in the grass. 

 

“I'm sorry about what happened today,” the girl said quietly. “It was really dangerous for me to reveal my identity right in front of the akuma like that. I don't know if Papillon could see me or not. But I'm afraid.”

 

“I'm afraid, too,” Chat Noir expressed. “For you, and for me. I'm afraid of myself. I didn't really think…”

 

“I understand. But he's… back to life now, so that's… good… right?”

 

“I don't know. I mean, yes! It's good he’s alive, of course! But, it's messed up. We can't just kill people and call it fine just because we can resurrect them again. That's so messed up. I didn't think that was even possible. We’re definitely in way over our heads with this stuff. We have powers so far beyond our control… We can't abuse them. We can’t play with life and death like this.”

 

Ladybug nodded. “It's wrong.”

 

“And I bet that man doesn't even remember it either. He probably thinks we saved his life. He thinks we’re heroes. We can't just ... do that. We can't literally kill someone and then not face any consequences. That’s fucked up. It's so, so wrong.”

 

“I know. We… we just have to be more careful from here on out, okay?”

 

“No,” Adrien insisted firmly. “I don't think that's good enough. This doesn't feel like just a mistake everyone needs to make to learn a lesson. This is murdering people! It's fucked up and it shouldn't have happened. It should never happen to anyone! Nobody accidentally kills people as part of their daily life and then faces no repercussions whatsoever! I'm way in over my fucking head and I don't know if I can handle it, okay!”

 

“Chat Noir, it’ll be okay. You're okay.”

 

Adrien put his head in his hands, shaking his head. “I don't know, Ladybug.”

 

“It will. I know you're distressed over this, but there's no changing it now. I’m sorry. That guy is alive and well now, so everything is still okay. It will all be okay. We just have to be careful to make sure it never happens again.”

 

He appreciated what his lady was saying… It was logical, and he knew it made sense. They couldn't change the past. What was done was done and they needed to learn from it and move on. But Adrien couldn't do that so simply. He couldn't live with himself for that. For killing another human being with his own hands. He could still hear the man’s scream as the cataclysm engulfed his body ringing in his ears...

 

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug called to him. She looked very sad and concerned, and Adrien felt like an asshole for not wanting to listen to her. But he just couldn't handle this shit right now. His head was pounding.

 

“I'm going to go home now.”

 

“No, kitten, wait, I'm only trying to make you feel better, I'm sorry if I said anything wrong-”

 

He shook his head. “I'll be fine. I just want to go. But because I know who you are now, I’m going to tell you who I am first.”

 

“What? No, you don't have to-”

 

“I'm Adrien, from your class. Like, the…” he trailed off, realizing further explanation was not really necessary. “Yeah. You know. I'm going now.”

 

“Wait!”

 

But he didn't wait, quickly taking to the rooftops and bounding home as fast as his legs could carry him.

 

Ladybug probably would have followed had she not been so caught off guard.

 

…

 

“Do you really think Adrien is Chat Noir?”

 

“I don’t think he would have lied about that. He had no reason to.”

 

“But, Adrien!?”

 

“I don't know, Marinette. I'm surprised too. But I'm also worried about him. He seemed really upset when he left, and he’s normally a lot nicer, he would've at least said goodbye.”

 

“I know, Tikki....” Marinette sunk down in her chair. “I'm worried, too.”

 

“You should go see him. You know where he lives now, and I think he needs you.”

 

“But what if he doesn't want me around? He left in an awful hurry tonight. I'd think he wants to be left alone.”

 

“Marinette, he was just overwhelmed with his emotions. I'm sure he'll come to his senses. He likes you, remember? I doubt he'd be opposed to you coming around to comfort him.”

 

“Adrien likes me....”

 

“Yes! And he also needs your help. I know how messed up it is, what happened with the akuma tonight. I've seen it affect other Ladybugs before. I understand what he is feeling.”

 

“I know, I do too. I don't think it was right, what we did. But there isn't anything we can do now.”

 

“I know. And Adrien is feeling pretty helpless about that right now. I think a nice distraction would be appreciated. Or a good talk, if he's up for it.”

 

“You're right, Tikki. I need to go see him. Transform me!”

 

…

 

Ladybug swung into the Agreste household through an open window in Adrien’s room. Had he left it open for her?

 

“Detransform.”

 

She didn't see him, looking around, and all his lights were off. Then again, it was like one in the morning. She didn't really think that part through. She padded lightly towards his bed. Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a lump there. All she could see was a mess of blond hair on the pillow. He was lying on his stomach, face buried in the pillows.

 

“Adrien?” she whispered.

 

No response.

 

“It’s me, L-Ladybug. Er, Marinette, I guess. Hello? A-Adrien…?”

 

“You're gonna have to be louder than that to wake this one up,” said a voice that Marinette didn’t recognize. Her brain immediately went into panic mode, thinking it was one of Adrien's housekeepers or something, but Tikki flew out of her purse, interrupting that train of thought.

 

“Plagg!”

 

“Tikki?”

 

When Tikki flew towards the other kwami, Marinette finally spotted it. It was dark in the room and the small black creature blended well with the darkness. 

 

“This is Plagg, the black cat kwami,” Tikki introduced him.

 

“So Adrien is Chat Noir, after all...”

 

“Yes, ma'am,” Plagg said with a yawn.

 

“We'll leave you two alone,” Tikki said to Marinette. “Plagg and I have a little bit of catching up to do.”

 

“O-okay.”

 

Alone with Adrien.

 

Even now knowing he was the dorky Chat Noir, Marinette's heart fluttered seeing Adrien asleep before her. She wasn't sure how to approach waking him up. She felt quite shy all of a sudden.

 

“Adrien?” she called.

 

He shifted somewhat.

 

“Adrien, you awake? ...Chat Noir?”

 

She heard him make a groaning noise as he rolled over.

 

“Marinette?” he blinked as he recognized her.

 

“Hi…”

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“I-I…” she stammered. “I'm here to check on you. You were really upset earlier and I was worried about you.”

 

Adrien didn't say anything, he just stared back at her. His eyes looked tired and baggy, and red, as though he had been crying recently. But his expression didn’t convey any particular emotion, and it made Marinette nervous.

 

“And, I, uh,” she continued, “I wanted to see for myself if you were really Adrien Agreste.”

 

He smiled finally. “That's me.”

 

Marinette smiled back timidly.

 

“Come here,” he offered softly, reaching both his arms out like a child demanding a hug from their mother.

 

Marinette blushed. She didn't move.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“N-nothing's wrong, I promise, I’m just, I'm a little shy.”

 

Adrien laughed. “I know. But still come here, my Buginette.”

 

Blushing, Marinette inched closer and Adrien pulled her into a cuddle.

 

“I'm feeling a bit better now. Thank you for checking in on me.” Adrien's voice came calmly.

 

“Aren't you still afraid?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“I promise I will never hurt you, Marinette.”

 

She hugged him tightly, a reassuring gesture.

 

“I'm afraid that I will, though,” the blond continued, fidgeting nervously with the back of Marinette’s shirt between his fingers. “My powers are really dangerous. And I'm just a dumb kid, there's no way I'm responsible enough for this job.”

 

“Don't say that about yourself.”

 

“But, it's true. We're so young. And my power… could destroy anything or anyone. It's a lot of responsibility.”

 

“I know. But that's what Ladybug is for. Everything Chat destroys, Ladybug will fix.”

 

Adrien frowned. “It shouldn't be your responsibility to clean up after me, though. I can't just do whatever I want just because you're going to make it better again. It's fine if I destroy an object or something to catch a bad guy, or to save people but, I killed a person today -- a person! I  _ killed _ someone.” Adrien’s voice started to break as he said the next words: “I'm a murderer.”

 

He rolled over, pushing away Marinette and wrapping himself in the blankets.

 

“A-Adrien, it's okay.”

 

“No, it's not! It's not okay! Don't try to tell me that it's okay when it's not!” His voice was muffled by the blanket wrap. “I'm a fucking murderer.”

 

“Adrien,” Marinette pleaded, trying to sound as gentle as possible. She could hear that Adrien was crying, just from his voice, and it hurt. She wanted to be there for him, but she wasn't sure how. “I'm here,” she said.

 

Adrien didn't respond. His shoulders shook in silent sobs.

 

Tentatively, Marinette reached out a hand and placed it on the bundle of blankets that was Adrien. She patted him softly, reassuringly. They didn't speak for some time.

 

Eventually, Adrien stopped crying, and the room fell into a dead silence. Marinette listened to a clock ticking somewhere, she wasn't sure where.

 

“Adrien?” Marinette broke the silence after a few long moments, voice almost a whisper.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Please don't beat yourself up. You're an amazing person, and you're still Paris’ hero. I love you.”

 

There was a rustling as Adrien rolled to face her.

 

Adrien’s gaze rose from Marinette’s mouth, up to her eyes. There was a certain special softness about him. He looked shy, and had a blush on his face. But there were sad tears in his eyes. He stared back silently for too long of a time. She feared that she had said something wrong.

 

Then, Adrien squirmed to release himself from his blanket burrito. Marinette looked on awkwardly. Eventually, Adrien held the blanket up, beckoning  her wordlessly to come under.

 

She obliged, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. Marinette squeaked anxiously at the breath on her neck, but held strong. Adrien needed her. She was comforting him. He was letting her in.

 

“I love you too,” he whispered, barely audible. He was squeezing her tightly, his fear and distress evident. Marinette didn't know how to help.

 

“I'm here for you,” she whispered back, unsure of what else to say.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You can cry,” she assured as gently as possible, running a hand through his hair. “It's okay.”

 

Adrien sniffled, but didn't cry. “I'm sorry for being sad, after I just said I was feeling better. I don't mean to be any burden. And I'm sorry for running away from you earlier. You must have been worried.”

 

“It's okay,” Marinette repeated. “You aren't a burden.”

 

“And thank you for earlier. I know it still didn't go the way you planned, but you were willing to give up your miraculous to save my life. And that's crazy to me.”

 

“I don't know if you should thank me, really, I didn’t have much of a plan. I'm kind of embarrassed that I jeopardized my identity like that, and I could have lost my miraculous for good-”

 

“No, I'm thanking you. You did it for me. You kinda saved my life. It means a lot.”

 

Marinette rubbed Adrien’s back.

 

“I'm sorry for running away at the park,” Adrien repeated. “And for shoving you away just now. I like having you here. I don't want you to go. I'm just used to being alone, and ... unwanted.”

 

Marinette’s heart ached at the words.

 

“It's … hard to be forward and open with my emotions.”

 

“I understand, Adrien. I'm not going anywhere.”

 

“I love you,” Adrien said again.

 

Marinette squeezed him tightly, burying her face in his messy hair as she whispered back the sentiment.

 

Surprisingly, Adrien laughed.

 

“I've always loved you,” he said, a reminiscent smile in his voice. “From the first day I met Ladybug, I loved her. I admired her. And I've always wanted to be more than friends with Marinette. I'm glad I can have the best of both worlds.”

 

Marinette squeaked.

 

“What about me, hmm, m’lady?”

 

“W-what?”

 

“What do you think of me, now that my secret is out? Some little kitty told me you had a big crush on me.”

 

Marinette’s embarrassment was going to be unending tonight. However, Adrien seemed to be getting cheered up, so she didn't argue with him. His smile as he looked up at her was too adorable. He was acting like Chat Noir, but he still looked like Adrien, and she was having trouble handling it.

 

“I-I ... I did, yeah.”

 

“Is that why you always acted so shy around me? You were nervous?”

 

Marinette nodded her head shyly, and Adrien chuckled. 

 

“Naw, don't be embarrassed. It's sweet.”

 

Adrien said she was sweet! But he was Chat Noir, too, she realized. She needed to make a comeback. “I'm a little less nervous now that I know you're also the guy who makes all those terrible puns all the time, is constantly bragging about himself, and who, if I recall correctly, had a big ol’ dumb crush on  _ me _ ,” Marinette teased.

 

“Hey, c’mon, I'm sad, don't be mean to me,” Adrien fake pouted.

 

Marinette laughed. “I'm only teasing.”

 

“I know, you're okay. It's helping.”

 

“Is there anything else you wanna talk about?”

 

“Hmm.” Adrien thought for a moment. “What was that guy doing with that gun?”

 

“I’m not totally sure.” Marinette’s smile fell. “He was really adamant about keeping it a secret. He seemed embarrassed. I made sure to get him and the weapon to the police so they could figure it out and handle the situation accordingly. He didn't protest, which would have been weird for a violent criminal. I think he was… doing something else.”

 

“Oh. I see.”

 

“So I can’t be completely sure, but, I think you actually saved his life.”

 

Adrien was silent for a while. Marinette rubbed his back. “There, there,” she whispered as he clawed nervously at her shirt.

 

“Marinette?” Adrien said finally, gazing up at her with his pretty green eyes.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can you stay? Like, sleep here for the night?”

 

“Oh, um, yeah, I guess so, if you want me to, i-if you're asking, or I mean… no, yes! I'd love to. I just have to set an alarm early enough to get home before anybody catches me.”

 

“Good.” Adrien freed her from his grasp to let her set her phone. Then she set it on the bedside table, and Adrien went immediately back to holding her tightly. “Yay, my very own bed bug.”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “You know, you being Chat Noir is really gonna take some getting used to.”

 

“Aww, come on, you like it.”

 

She normally would have protested, but she was still a little flustered being held by Adrien. She felt so small in his arms, and it was perfect. She was cuddling Adrien! But he was Chat Noir as well. He was Chat Noir, but somehow, he was still so  _ Adrien _ . This was confusing. She whined.

 

“She likes it!” Adrien gushed to himself, snuggling her cutely.

 

Marinette was admittedly so glad to see Adrien cheered up, she didn't care what embarrassing things he said. He would probably be traumatized over what had happened for quite a while now, and she understood, and wanted to help him as much as she possibly could. She cared about him so much.

 

“Today was a really big day,” Adrien said after a while.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I'm tired.”

 

“You should get some sleep.”

 

“Please don't leave.”

 

Marinette felt a pang in her heart at how quickly Adrien had said that. He sounded panicked.

 

“I'm not going anywhere,” she assured him. “But we should both get some sleep.”

 

“Yeah… You're right.”

 

Adrien settled in beside Marinette, still hugging her securely. Marinette smiled. 

 

She was putting on a brave face for Adrien’s sake, but to be completely honest, she was terrified about what had happened that day. She had revealed her identity in front of one of Le Papillon’s akumas, which meant it was highly likely that he knew who she was. She had no idea how his powers worked, but he must be able to watch his villains somehow, or he wouldn't be able to control what they were doing, and order them around. She didn't know if it was magic, or if he legitimately followed them around to keep an eye on them, or what, but she was afraid. What did it mean that he had seen who she was? He probably didn't actually recognize her if so, being as she’s just one of many young girls in Paris, and nobody had said her name, so it was possible all she gave him was a face to go off of, but she couldn't be sure. What if he was somebody who she knew in her real life? Chat Noir had been. It was possible. It was even possible he was nearby at this very moment.

 

She had been very lucky, at least, that they has been high up on a dangerous roof at the time, and late at night, so no cameras had been on them, and her identity would probably not be known by the general public, or even fanatics like Alya.

 

But none of that mattered if Hawkmoth knew.

 

Marinette looked over at Adrien, who was already drifting off to sleep. She felt something flutter in her heart, seeing him looking happy. Maybe their enemy had her identity, but Marinette was going to do everything in her power to protect Adrien’s. Paris needed heroes. It’d be a cold day in hell when Marinette stopped trying to be that hero. Especially when it came to Adrien.

 

Marinette yawned, and it made her ribs ache. She was tender still from the fight earlier. She needed to get to sleep too. She settled in to Adrien’s arms, and allowed herself to smile. She could worry about Ladybug and Chat Noir’s flurry of problems again in the morning. Right now, it was time to be Marinette and Adrien…. and Marinette and Adrien needed to sleep.

 

“Goodnight, Adrien,” she whispered, before drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> on my last ml fic, a bunch of people asked me if I was planning on writing a sequel? which is something I've never really been asked before, so I thought it was weird. I suspect that thats going to happen for this one, as well considering this one actually leaves off without being concluded, so I'm gonna answer in advance: maybe. I might add onto this more in the future as it's a really interesting concept, but I'm not good at multichapter fics, and I don't actually have more planned for this at the moment, and I won't start writing a big multichapter fic without having a plan for how it's going to end. sorry.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed it though!


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